William haekness



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W. HARKNESS. Fire Extinguisher, N0. 243,128. Patented June 21, 58811..

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W. HARKNESS.

' Fire Extinguisher.

No. 243,128. Patented June 2L i881.

UNITED STATES PAT NT QFFIGE.

WILLIAM HARKNESS,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FlR E-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,128, dated June 21, 1881.

Application filed March 5,1881. tMndel.)

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, WILLIAM HARKNEss. of the city and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Fire-Extinguishers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to produce a fire-extinguisher operated by compressed air, either of a small size adapted to be carried by one person or of any larger size for fire-engines.

Efforts have heretofore been made to use compressed air for the ejection of water from fire-extinguishers; but in consequence of defects in the construction these air-holdin g devices have not been reliable, and commercial success has not been attained, Y

My present invention relates to the combination, with awater-holdin g vessel, of a removable bottle or holder for compressed air, so that the air-holder can be filled and remain ready for use, and then the same can be. applied to the vessel'of water, and the air acts by expansion when liberated to eject; the water with great force from the vessel and through a nozzle upon the fire for its extinguishment.

In carrying out this invention I make use of a peculiarly-constructed bottle or air-holder. The same is provided with a gage to indicate at all times the pressure, and with a peculiar valve or cook to lock in the compressed air or to allow it to escape from the bottle into the water-holding vessel.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sec- .tion of the air and water holding vessel and of the cock, and Fig. 2 is an elevation, and Fig. 3 a plan, of the parts in a portable form.

The water-holding vessel A is of a size and shape adapted to be either carried by hand or supported upon wheels, and this vessel is to be of the proper strength to withstand the pressure required to eject the water from the vessel through the stand-pipe B and flexible hose 0. This stand-pipe I should be provided with a strainer, l), at the bottom. The straps J are provided for portable fire-extinguishers as heretofore employed. The neck E is fastened firmly to this vessel A, and it is provided with an internal screw-thread for receiving the movable bottle or air-holder.

The air-holder is formed of a cylinder, ll,

preferably of copper with a bottom, I, riveted and soldered into its place, so as to be perfectly air-tight. The top of the air-holder or bottle is made of one casting, so as to be without seam. It is to be of close-grained metal, that will not allow air to pass through its pores. This top includes the barrel K, with the air-pipe L passing laterally and opening through the flange N, within which flange N the cylinder H is secured air-tight by rivets and solder, and the outside of this flange is made with a screw-thread to fit the neck E, and a washer is used at o to make a ti ght joint. between the cover and the neck E. There are handles S, by which the bottle is moved from place, and by which it is revolved when being screwed into or removed from the neck E.

The barrel K is closed at the bottom, and it is bored out to receive the plug T of the cock, which is carefully fitted and ground into the barrel K, and it has a central and branch holes to correspond with the hole in the pipe L and the hole a through the barrel of the cock, and the screw-ring o and packing are employed to keep the plug in place and render the parts air-tight. This construction prevents the cock or valve leaking and renders the cock more durable and etficient than itwould be if the hole passed directly through the plug, because any particles of grit or foreign matter that might lodge at the end of one hole and scratch the adjacent interior of the barrel would not interfere with the cock remaining air-tight so long as the cylinder and plug remained pert'ect where the other hole of the plug is situated, whereas in cocks where the hole of the plug passes directly across the same a scratch around the interior of the barrel allows the air to pass around to the outer pipe. The gage at \V serves to indicate the pressure.

The air-holder is provided with an internal screw at the end of the pipe L, so that the same may be attached to a pipe through which air under a powerful compression is admitted into the air-holder or bottle, the cock being in the position shown in Fig. 1. After the airholder has been tilled the cock is closed and the holder disconnected from the supply, so that the same may be placed into the vessel A, having the proper quantity of water in it. The apparatus is then ready for use, and will so remain for any desired length of time,-because the construction before described insures a perfectly-tight air holder.

If desired, the water-holder may have a flaring month above the screw-neck to facilitate the pouring in of water, and it is usually preferable to employ a packing that remains upon the water-holding vessel. Fig. 4 is a section at one side of the neck, showing these devices. The washer o is outside of a ring, 0'', and rests upon a surface having annular corrugations, and the flange of the head bears upon this washer, and the ring 0" holds this washer in place upon the surface around the neck-opening. Several of these airholders, properly charged, should be supplied with each waterholding vessel, so as to be applied successively after one charge of water has been driven out and. anotherintroduced into the vessel A. Thus I am enabled to obtain the required reservoir of energy to eject the water without the use of chemicals and other appliances that are difficult to handle and liable to corrode and destroy the apparatus.

It will be evident that this apparatus may be increased in size to any desired extent and mounted on wheels so as to be moved like a fire-engine, and that in place of water any suitable fire-extinguishing liquid may be charged.

into the vessel A.

The bottle or air-holder may pass down into the water-holding vessel or be upon the outside thereof, or it may pass partially down into the water-holding vessel.

I am aware that an air-holder and cook have been permanently connected with a waterholding vessel, so that air may be pumped into the vessel and confined by the cock. This does not allow for removing a spent-air vessel and placingupon the water-holdin g vessel acharged air-holding vessel, as in my apparatus.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, in a forcing apparatus for liquids, of a water-holding vessel and its discharge-pipe, a vessel for air under pressure, and a cock permanently connected to the same,

and mechanism, substantially as specified, for connecting the air-vessel to the water-vessel and allowing of its ready disconnection, so that another air-holding'vessel can be applied to the water-holding vessel. with facility, substantially as set forth.

2. In a. water-forcing apparatus, the removable air-holder, formed of a metal cylinder and bottom, and a top containing the barrel of the cock, and the inlet air-pipe, and the flange for the cylinder, all of one piece of metal, in combination with the plug of the cock or "alve,

substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a tire-extinguisher, of a water-holding vessel, the delivery-pipe and hose, an air-holder having the barrel of the cook or valve and the air-pipe made in one with the top of the air-holder aml a plug or valve, and a presser-indicator, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with the water-holding vessel in a fire-extinguisher, a removable airholder having a screw around the flange of the top fitting the neck of the water-holding vessel, handles by which to move the air-holder, and a cook or valve which closes or opens the air-pipe, substantially as set forth.

5. The'combination, in a fire-extinguisher, of a waterholding vessel with a neck and threaded opening, an outlet-pipe and flexible hose, and the strap, a removable air-holder, a cock or valve, T, gage W, and handles S, the whole constructed to operate substantially as shown and described.

6. A removable air-holdin g vessel having a head and valve for retaining compressed air, an inlet or outlet pipe, and handles by which the vessel maybe moved, and a gage to denote the pressnre, substantially. as specified. 1 gjigned by me this 1st day of March, A. D.

WILLIAM HARKNESS.

Witnesses HAROLD SERRELL, WILLIAM G. Mom. 

